I love to create. I love to make people laugh and I love to make things, especially gifts. I love helping people and I love dogs! In my life, whether I am teaching puppy class or rehearsing for a show or creating something with my hands, it's my contribution to this world. Along this journey I get to quilt, knit, embroider, play, laugh and love. Come along and join the fun! God bless!

Saturday, June 24, 2006

It is with a sad and heavy heart that I write tonight. We have lost our dear friend, Mufasa, to lymphosarcoma. While I never had the opportunity to shake Mufasa's paw in person, ruffle the fur on the top of his head, plant a resounding kiss on the top of his beautiful snout, nor merely have the honor of carrying his fur - as lint upon my slacks, I feel like I have known this dear Golden boy...

Mufasa loved to play frisbee. He felt that playing was very important work, which he was extremely skilled and talented at! No matter the weather, nothing could bend him from this task, when he wanted to play and boy, did he play!

He enjoyed car rides and looked forward to when his non-furry siblings, Dan and Jessie would come home to visit him. He loved them very much, and as the Baby in the family, knew they came just to see him!!!

One of Mufasa's all-time favorite passions was to chase frogs at the pond on his property. I imagine there are frogs at Rainbow Bridge and he will have a lot of fun continuing the game there with his Golden brother Sebastian.

Occasionally teased about the white spot on his chest, Mufasa intelligently thought up some delicious nick-names to call himself. Twinkie and Creamsicle were his favorites, but any dessert items would do! When not hard at work or lounging in the kitchen, Mufasa was a master of "step-aerobics" as he felt that any exercise you could do while sitting on your bum was surely a great workout.

But by far, the muscle that worked the hardest for Mufasa was his giant heart, for he loved his Mom & Dad, his family, friends and neighbors and even the frogs he chased that gave him great joy.

Thank you Mufasa, we love you. We miss you.

This is dedicated to you, Elaine.Hugs from your friends in Seattle.Gayle

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Gold glitters, sparkles, feels nice against your skin and looks beautiful. It is precious, very precious and the most precious of all, will reach out, kiss your face, nudge your hand, lean against you, snuggle up and steal your heart...

The Golden Specialty is this weekend and I am having a blast! It is wonderful how much love, dedication, appreciation and passion exists; how committed the breeders and handlers are to not only their own dogs, but to the health and welfare of the breed and dogs in general. I've met several member of the Evergreen Golden Retriever Club and they are a wonderful group!

I will admit, I took advantage of the Golden Retriever's natural joy of sharing love and got as much cuddling and kisses as I could. They are all so very special, wonderful and unique. Then, of course, there is my passion...puppies!!!

Does it get any better than that?

At the end of the day, I got a hug and a kiss from my buddy Dax, who used to work in the office down the hall from me and would wander in to perk up my day and see if my supply of cookies needed diminishing. I'm not partial or anything, but I'm thinking... Best in Show? Why not? He's a veteran, he can show then all the ropes!(Love you Dax! Thanks!)

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Well, who could resist these adorable little guys?My neighbor was moving. The husband was rummaging in the shed for something. Something made noise. Certain it wasn't a mouse (or heaven forbid, a bigger rodent!!!) but still a very small animal - or small animals- and convinced it was an infantile sound he heard...what do you do? Get me of course! Duh. I'm the go to person in the neighborhood for all creatures great and small. Now, I'll spare him some dignity, he wasn't afraid, just didn't know what to do...

Six kittens! Eyes barely open, 10 to 12 days old. Where's Mama Cat? Hiding. Duh. Not happy we found her litter, but grateful for the can of cat food (borrowed from the neighbor who actually does have a cat) and a bowl of water! Mama Cat proceeds to move 4 of the 6 kittens over the course of the evening. Then she stops. I check it at 11 PM before going to bed. Hmmm... by this time, I am of course keeping an eye on things, because even though I am deathly allergic to cats, I am not opposed to them as beings. After all, they serve a purpose and some of them can be quite cool. (I'm a Dog Person, deal with it!) That night, early next morning, (it is now 5:30 AM) just these two left... a little more food is put out, shed door is checked to be sure it is open enough for a cat but not anything bigger can get in there, blankets are fluffed, they seem ok... I head off to an appointment, praying for the best. No one comes. 9 AM, I go in after the two remaining little fuzzballs. What I will do with them yet, I have no idea. I roll them up in my sweatshirt and start rubbing them to get circulation going. One seems to be somewhat alright, the other is much worse than at the crack of dawn. Of course, I am worthless at the crack of dawn, too. With the help of my neighbor, we get them warmed up an in a fresh box with warm towels and blanket. I am frantically searching to see if the other kittens are somewhere - did something happen to Mama Cat? Why didn't she come back?? Finally, after deciding not to crawl into some disgusting places, (thank you to whomever invented flashlights) I head down to Maser's Pet in Kenmore, where I am sure to find help. No rescue places are answering their phones and I know they need to eat. At least I think that is what they are saying!! Thank heavens for communities that have people who care. I love my local shops. Joni, the Manager spots the box as I come in the door and immediately takes charge. KMR and the teeniest little nursing bottle in hand, she demonstrates the proper way to Feed and Potty a kitten. Oh, yes! You must also make it pee! Don't want it to swell up like a giant water balloon! That would be horrifying. I am completely inept. When, in all my years of dog training, did I lose my ability to handle a little tiny, living, breathing, precious gift from God that only weighs an ounce or two and fits in the palm of my hand? They finally begin to nurse and I am totally in love and showing them off (when not fretting over keeping them warm enough) and dealing with the duties of Mom. Thank Heavens for Joni, that's all I can say!Finally, I hear back from some shelters. MEOW Cat Rescue has a possible Surrogate Mother. A blessing! What a place! Cats, cats and more cats! Wonderful people! Very nice, loving, helpful, caring cat people. (I felt a bit out of place, and thankfully my allergies didn't explode until I got out the door!) It took the Surrogate Mom some time to decide she'd like these new kittens to raise, but it was amazing to watch. The more lethargic of the two, the bigger, all black one, just went over to the SM's other kittens and cuddled in with them. The rowdier one, with the white nose, laid down right in front of this Mother cat, who was hissing bloody murder at them and out her nose down an inch from her face. (Being a dog trainer, I know that sound, it is quite distinct and it means bad things are about to happen.) The kitten however, just laid there, still as could be, looking up at this big, gray cat who's hissing like a venomous snake and stares at her with those beautiful baby blue eyes. After a few minutes (I'm constantly being reassured this is normal and it will take time and it could take an hour to find out if she accepts them or not) the mother cat starts cleaning the kitten. Then scoots her over to a teat and goes to clean the black one. When I left, the mother was reclined with 2 gray, 2 black kittens happily gorging themselves on milk. That's as close as I'll ever come to having cats. I hope you both have wonderful, spoiled, long, healthy lives!

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About Me

Even as a young child, Gayle Ballinger was very in-tune with the animals around her; she gravitated towards every dog and cat she met and spent hours playing with her neighbor’s pet skunk. At the age of six, Gayle discovered that even the local squirrels would perform tricks in exchange for bits of her peanut butter sandwiches. This passion for working with animals has been a driving force behind her career and life choices… If you’re looking for help in raising your first puppy, need to solve a problem with your dog’s behavior, or just want to have a well-trained dog, call Gayle Ballinger at Pawsitive Steps Dog Training.After all these years, she’s still sharing her peanut butter sandwiches.